New Study Shows Benefits of Standing Desks vs. Sitting Chairs

New Study Shows Benefits of Standing Desks vs. Sitting Chairs All that standing should probably be supplemented by moving around, too.

Ask your friends or coworkers about standing desks, and you’ll probably here the same refrain: “I heard they were healthier.” With research showing that sitting is not great for human body, people assume that standing desks are just better, in part because they keep you moving. What we didn’t know is just how much difference the top standing desks of 2016 actually make when it comes to things like calories burned – but now we’ve got an interesting study to reference.

This study, found in the Journal of Physical Activity & Health, studied 74 people and their more sedentary habits: Those in the study were asked to work on a laptop or watch TV – first while sitting, then while standing, then while walking around at a normal pace, each for 15 minutes.

The energy use of the participants was carefully measured, and the research reached several conclusions. First, standing as opposed to sitting does burn more calories, around 9 calories per hour. That…doesn’t sound like much, right? But think about it like this: If you are standing instead of sitting for around 6 hours a day, that 54 calories per day burned, and around 270 calories burned per week. If you’ve ever tried counting calories, you know that’s a significant number when trying to lose weight.

Sure standing burns some calories, but it may not be enough for you.

Second, the study showed that moving while working burns a lot more calories, which makes a lot of common sense. Third – and because of this – the study isn’t a very good look at standing desks in the office. The standing participants were instructed not to move at all, but in the office you may be frequently moving around your desk and repositioning, which will burn significantly more calories. The office numbers are probably more of a median between the motionless standing and walking around stages of the study.

Ultimately, we need more in-office studies to narrow down the benefits. But overall, if you want to lose weight then a standing desk will make a difference – and it can make a big difference if you use an office treadmill or move around at the same time. This is, of course, in addition to other benefits from getting out of your chair, like positive impacts on your blood pressure and blood sugar.